Columns

A comparison between last week’s Liberal Agenda and a Virginian-Pilot editorial, which we borrowed, that ran on the same page is a good illustration of the fact that the left is divided on whether President Obama has negotiated a good deal with Iran on its nuclear program. The Virginian-Pilot is owned by the same company that owns the Bedford Bulletin, so we can borrow something from them.

The Internet is one of the most dynamic and competitive marketplaces in existence. It has become a cornerstone of the American economy and culture. Because of this, concerns about the future of an open and fair Internet, coined as “net neutrality,” have come to light. Net neutrality may seem like a complex issue, but at the core the question is simple. Do you want more or less choice? Do you want more regulation governing the Internet? Overall, we have achieved open access to the Internet through free enterprise and competition.

The ruckus raised about the outdated average teacher salary comparison presented by the Bedford County Education Association to the Board of Supervisors on February 23, is an example of much being said about very little. Supervisors Sharp and Parker suggest that the outdated information gives people the wrong impression about what Bedford County teachers are paid. They use updated information, which they purport to be proof. Moral indignation is evident in their comments.

Conservative Republicans had a tough time last week, struggling to defend discrimination in the name of religion in Indiana, and then reaching deep into their playbook of hostility to condemn the president’s historic deal with Iran.
When people start talking about “restoring religious freedom,” you know they’re up to something no good. That’s because religious freedom has clearly not been lost in America, so it does not need to be “restored.”

It’s been nearly 80 years since Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned to London after negotiations with Adolph Hitler over the Sudetenland portion of Czechoslovakia. Prime Minister Chamberlain returned, waving a copy of the now infamous Munich Agreement which turned the Sudetenland over to Germany. Hitler, in turn, agreed to make no further territorial claims on Czechoslovakia. Prime Minister Chamberlain, who had made a major concession to Hitler, claimed “There will be peace for our time.”

An opportunity economy starts with a budget that leads to balance. The House of Representatives sent a strong message just a few days ago that a balanced budget is a top priority. We all know the status quo is not working anymore. That’s why I voted in support of a budget plan that will help build a stronger America by balancing the budget, making real efforts to reduce the deficit, and repealing Obamacare in full.

Whenever Liberty University struts its true colors and invites a far-right politician to speak, all you can say is, “Well, there it goes again.”
But last week, the speaker wasn’t just another right-wing fanatic embracing the mantle of mythical “Christian conservatism,” it was a U.S. Senator announcing his 2016 presidential bid.

The truce signed in Minsk, Belarus, in February seems to be holding, although it’s certainly a fragile truce. French President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel brokered the agreement between Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko back in the middle of February.